September 1, 2005

AREN'T THEY EVIL?:

As Hurricane Katrina bears down on the Gulf Coast states, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has announced a donation of $1 million to The Salvation Army to provide early support for upcoming disaster relief assistance.

Currently, The Salvation Army is preparing to serve 400,000 meals per day to victims and first responders. Meals are being loaded onto 72 mobile canteens and two 54-foot mobile kitchens. The mobile feeding units will be dispatched into the most affected areas by FEMA, and will be followed, based on response needs, by other units The Salvation Army has at its disposal – trucks called comfort stations where residents can attend to personal hygiene; portable shower units; emergency response command stations for officers to direct the response efforts; and other equipment as needed.

Wal-Mart also is encouraging the general public to donate to emergency relief efforts through its 3,800 stores and CLUBS and through its Web sites. Beginning today on five of the company’s Web sites – www.walmart.com, www.walmartstores.com, www.samsclubs.com, www.walmartfacts.com, and www.walmartfoundation.org – will be an area for the general public to find information and a link to make credit card donations to help victims of Katrina.

Also this week, Wal-Mart Stores, Neighborhood Markets and SAM’S CLUBS will be accepting customer donations nationwide at its facilities from any customer who would like to make a contribution for emergency relief assistance for Katrina victims and communities.

The Chatmans popped the trunk on their aging Oldsmobile and pulled out garbage bags bursting with baby formula, clothes, shoes, sheets, and food.

The Baton Rouge family didn't know anyone affected by hurricane Katrina. But when they heard a local television station was a designated donation drop-off location, they gathered up all they could and headed into town.

"We have very little, but they have nothing," says Dre Chatman, unloading another bag. "It's people helping people."

The historic storm has left tens of thousands of people in Louisiana and Mississippi without possessions or a place to live.

The entire region - indeed, the nation - has responded in a huge outpouring of support for those affected by Katrina.

The American Red Cross, at press time, has collected $21 million, with nearly $15 million coming from individual donations through its website. Corporate donors have contributed more than 1 million pounds of groceries through food banks. Other corporations are donating everything from trucks to phone cards to bottled water. The US Chamber of Commerce said initial corporate donations to the relief efforts could total more than $100 million. Giving USA in Glenview, Ill., said individual and corporate donations combined could reach $1 billion. Pop stars are already promising to participate in hurricane Katrina telethons.

And every day Americans are showing up at shelters to volunteer and offering their homes to total strangers through Internet postings.